A Day to Wish For
This is a story belonging to BelievixinStella. It takes place in Poland in 1940, the second year of the Second World War. Characters *Agnieszka, Daughter of Athena *Klementyna, Daughter of Athena Chapter 1 ~ The Beginning of a Journey A shiver went down the young girl's spine as she watched the Nazi soldiers in the darkness, the light of the moon helping her to see, even though it is only faint. She creeps away quietly, hoping they wouldn't notice a starving young girl who just wanted to hunt with her bow and arrow. All she had collected that night was some wood for the small fire in her house, but it wouldn't keep it running for long. She wished that Poland wasn't going through such hard times, but most of all, she wished to meet her mother. ---- I crept quietly up the pathway to the back door of her small brick house, careful not to make a sound in case I wake the angry dog next door. I turn the door knob and close the door as quietly as I can, hoping it won't squeak too loudly. I hear the soft breathing of my little sister Klementyna who was asleep on the lounge. I can't help smiling. Even though Poland was in trouble, Klementyna, was always in a bright spirit. She started to stir a little, so I put down the wood she was carrying and tucked in the blanket, and she started her little snores once more. "Agnieszka." called a voice in the darkness. I started to panic. If my father found out I went hunting after he forbade me too, I'd be in serious trouble. I might even have to help pick cabbages for the big army. Sure enough, my father was standing in the darkness, his arms crossed. "I told you not to go hunting, but you completely ignored me." "I.., I didn't totally ignore you father, it's just, we were so short on food. But I brought home some wood for the fire!" My father sighs. "Agnieszka, sometimes you are too confident in yourself. You think you can do things better than anyone else. That isn't a good trait to have, especially in these times. You remind me of your mother, so wise and powerful." Why had father brought up this subject? He hated talking about her mother. Why now? I quickly pretended to yawn. "I think I need a rest. All that hunting made me tired." My father, with a puzzled expression on his face nodded. "I think that might be a good idea," he agreed. The next morning, I woke with a start. My sister Klementyna was shaking me vigorously. "Agi, Agi, today is market day!" I smile. Klemi loved market day because she sold the milk her baby cow, Tressa, made. She made quite a good profit from market day too. After getting ready, Klemetyna, father and I headed for the town square, which was a 5 minute walk from our house. I was quite well off compared to many people in the town who had small barns to live in. My father used to be a brilliant scientist, but he had to quit his job to look after Klemi and me, so we had quite a lot of money. As we reached the square, I headed towards her favorite store, a small shop that sold beautiful antiques, gold and jewelry. "I'll just be a minute," I told father. As I walked towards the shop, the world seemed to stop. The busy people around her setting up stalls seemed to freeze. Then everything went black. A lady with dark hair and grey eyes was standing in front of me. Frightened, I called out, "Who are you and what do you want from me?" The lady seemed to find this amusing. "You may be surprised Agnieszka, but you are much more important than you think. You play a part in this war, a part in stopping it." Now it was my turn to be amused."I'm just a 12-year-old girl. How will I stop a war involving millions of people?" "I have to go now Agnieszka. Zeus forbids any contact between mortals for more than 5 minutes. He can be quite stubborn at times." Did she just say something about Zeus, the god of the sky? Even though I didn't understand much about mythology, I find the Greek gods interesting. I learnt many of their names and powers off by heart. "Wait...," I started, but the lady had disappeared and I returned to reality. That, that couldn't be real, I tried to convince myself as I walked over the cobble-stone back to where father and Klemi were waiting. If that really was a goddess, it must have been Athena. No one else could have grey eyes like that. But, it can't be her, I must be hallucinating after last night. I hardly got any sleep. "Agi, are you feeling okay? You look like you've seen a ghost," giggled Klementyna. "I'm..., I'm fine." I force a smile. "Now, time to enjoy the beautiful sunshine." Although I tried hard to forget about my encounter with the goddess Athena, I couldn't stop repeating her words in my head. "You play a part in this war, a part in stopping it." Well that's just ridiculous, I thought. I stare down at her feet while she was walking, seeming lost in the crowds. Not noticing the Nazi group infront of me, I wake into one of the soldiers, who looks down at her and scowls. I try to apologize meaningfully, but as I'm distracted, I find it hard to concentrate. "Agi! You walked into a soldier! Do you know what will happen? They'll make you weed the cauliflower garden! That's what they did to Aleksander from school!" Klemi warns me. "Your sister is right Agnieszka. You need to be more careful." That's when something clicked inside of me. I had no idea I was yelling at her father until it was too late. "YOU WANT ME TO BE POLITE TO THEM?!" My shouts echo through the town square. "WHEN THEY'RE DESTROYING OUR TOWN?" Everyone turns to look at me, but I didn't care. I was just getting started. "THIS ISN'T RIGHT! IF THEY WANT TO BE TREATED NICELY, THEY SHOULD TREAT US AS EQUALS! LOOK AT THE CONDITIONS WE LIVE IN! WHY DON'T WE FINALLY STAND UP TO THEM? THEY CAN'T PUSH US AROUND ALL THE TIME! When I had finished my rather short speech, I turned around. Everyone in the square had started applauding me. Me, the 12-year-old-girl with a temper who learnt that standing up for yourself when Nazi soldiers are around is a big mistake. When I had finished, the soldiers rushed forward and grabbed me. Poor Klemi, she tried to bite one of them and he shoved her onto the ground. I yelled out her name, hoping for a response, but she doesn't reply. "LET ME GO!" I scream, trying to kick the soldiers, but they drag me away from my family; the only loved ones I have left. Chapter 2 ~ I wake up suddenly. I seem to be lying under a tree in a lush green field. I can't remember anything after the soldiers lead me away from my family. Then I remember Klemi, poor Klemi. If she died in the struggle, I'd never forgive myself. I sit up and scan my surroundings. There's a small spring a little way away. At least I have a water source. Maybe I could even set traps there for animals. I try to stand up but immediately flop down onto the ground again. Then I remember the searing pain I had felt in my ankle when the soldiers were dragging me away. I must have twisted it in my struggle against them. Category:BelievixinStella